offensive

English Online Dictionary. What means offensive‎? What does offensive mean?

English

Alternative forms

• offencive (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French offensif, from offendre + -if by analogy with défensif. Offendre is from Latin offendere (“to offend”); see offend.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈfɛnsɪv/
• (sports): (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/

Adjective

offensive (comparative more offensive, superlative most offensive)

1. Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation.

   Antonym: inoffensive
2. Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.

   Antonym: defensive
3. (sports) Having to do with play directed at scoring.

Synonyms

• aggressive
• invidious (Intending to cause envious offense)

Derived terms

Related terms

• offend
• offense

Collocations

Translations

Noun

offensive (countable and uncountable, plural offensives)

1. (countable, military) An attack.
2. (uncountable) The posture of attacking or being able to attack.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• “offensive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “offensive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Danish

Adjective

offensive

1. plural and definite singular attributive of offensiv

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.fɑ̃.siv/
• Homophone: offensives

Etymology 1

First attested 1417; formed from offense, from Latin offēnsare (“to strike against”).

Noun

offensive f (plural offensives)

1. (military) offensive (an attack)

Derived terms

• offensive terrestre

Descendants

• → German: Offensive

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

offensive

1. feminine singular of offensif

Further reading

• “offensive”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

offensive

1. inflection of offensiv:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /of.fenˈsi.ve/
• Rhymes: -ive
• Hyphenation: of‧fen‧sì‧ve

Adjective

offensive

1. feminine plural of offensivo

Noun

offensive f

1. plural of offensiva

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

offensive

1. definite singular/plural of offensiv

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

offensive

1. definite singular/plural of offensiv

Swedish

Adjective

offensive

1. definite natural masculine singular of offensiv